We are not separate – we are nature

I see ourselves, nature and art as inseparable.

The environment is not somewhere else

Nature is not somewhere you go to – it is everywhere and we are part of it.

This series of photographs did not set out as a project, in-fact it began as just an ordinary day walking in the city when, in the distance a golden glow appeared and before I knew it, a small group of trees began whispering my name.

The shadows are Alive

I was invited to play with the trees and their shadows. This was not planned, it was merely an interaction of play with the trees which I captured on camera. This playful engagement was organic and free-flowing -it was a spontaneous …

Come play; come dance; come celebrate our oneness, and so I did.

I played, I danced, I celebrated. Moments of joy, communion, love, happiness, contentment and respect were experienced.

Shadows aren’t just black masses that border light; for me, they are every bit just as alive as the light in a picture. These dancing shadows were alive and carried an imprint of the Autumn leaves below. We all have a shadow; and just like nature, we cannot be separate from our shadow.

I am the tree and the tree is me

I danced with the graceful shadows of our giant friends. Their limbs reached out and touched me, I became the tree and the tree became me.

We are not separate – we are nature

And I left the little wooded area smiling, full of gratitude for the gift of those sacred moments.
Touching nature with the heart, body and mind. We seem to engage less and less with nature and yet I believe this is what can make us most happiest, most peaceful and content.

In these photographs – nature, myself and art are all one – I guess that is how I see and live life, connected to all, never separated. Which led me to create some playful nature art on the computer cutting my shadow out and playing with layouts in photoshop.

For older students, cameras are a great tool to explore and create mixed media art. Let us ensure that technology enhances and compliments, not dominates children’s learning.

Stepping in and out of the picture…(the environment) creates another creative offering, separate in it’s own right as a piece of art and yet still part of the whole picture (environment). I loved how my shadow was infact a body of fallen leaves, tiny insects, fungi – rustic, colouful and earthy. This leads to further investigation and endless opportunities for more creative expression as individuals and group lessons.

On my journey of observation, visiting different countries, I note that everywhere I go, city, town, countryside – I witness our broken relationship with our environment and it hurts to see this.

Lost souls, we walk through the city streets, heads buried in our cellphones, oblivious to the wonders around us, disconnected from our environment, we do not see each other, we do not hear the trees whispering our name. And yet every minute of every given day we are invited by nature to interact and engage with our environment.

Each of us is here to help others and I believe part of my journey is to help others rekindle that intimate relationship with Mother Earth through simple, meaningful art projects.

“Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” – Sir Ken Robinson

In our Nature Art Program we dedicate a whole chapter to Trees and we cover a small section on shadows. All the activities in the program can be adapted for any age group.

Trees are the most palpable connection city dwellers have with nature. There are trees everywhere in the city. I invite you to find a tree or better still, let it find you and play, connect, love and honour the tree with your presence. Take your camera and photograph your tree, experiment creatively with your own personal feelings about the tree, the environment and create and then create some more.

I would love to see your tree creations!

Wishing you a beautiful and creative day, know you are deeply loved, peace Marghanita x